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Narrow Stairs

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Narrow Stairs is the sixth studio album by indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie. It was released on May 12, 2008, in the United Kingdom[2] and on May 13, 2008, in the United States. The first single of the album was "I Will Possess Your Heart", released on March 18, 2008. The second single was "Cath...". The album was their first to reach No.1 on the Billboard 200. Guitarist and producer Chris Walla stated, "Narrow Stairs was very much a commitment to just crashing through the songs as we recorded them, like four people in a room."[3]

Recording and production

In October 2007, producer and guitarist Chris Walla said that Death Cab for Cutie's new album "is in full swing; we're six songs in." He went on to say, "thus far it's pretty weird and pretty spectacular; lots of blood. It's creepy and heavy... we've got a ten minute long Can jam, and had you suggested that possibility to me in 1998, I'd have eaten your puppy's brain with a spoon."[4] In a Billboard piece, Walla described the album: "It's really weird. It's really, really good, I think, but it's totally a curve ball, and I think it's gonna be a really polarizing record. But I'm really excited about it. It's really got some teeth. The landscape of the thing is way, way more lunar than the urban meadow sort of thing that has been happening for the last couple of records." Walla went on to say, "[It's also] louder and more dissonant and [...] I think abrasive would be a good word to use. [We were influenced by] heavy, sludgy, slow metal [and] synth-punk band Brainiac."[5] Ben Gibbard, lead singer and writer, commented, "I just don't feel like we really have anything to prove of it other than to ourselves and to making a record we really enjoy."[6]

In 2011 Walla stated, "the master plan for Narrow Stairs was to be as invisible and hands-off as a producer as I possibly could. I was really interested in seeing what would happen. When we started that record, we had been on tour for the better part of two years. All we could remember was being on stage and playing. So the whole idea was: what happens if we’re just on stage and we play, except we’re in the studio and we’re recording?"[7]

Writing and composition

While promoting the band's subsequent album, Codes and Keys (2011), Benjamin Gibbard reflected upon Narrow Stairs' lyrical content, stating, "That record is kind of a fulcrum in my life. So much of the negativity in my life got funneled into it. I realized after that I didn't want to go any darker. I wanted it to be the bottom for this band and my own emotional spectrum in terms of writing. I had no grandiose plans to turn my life around."[8]

Notes

Several of the songs have literary or cultural themes. "Grapevine Fires" appears to be centered around the wildfires that raged in California during the summer and fall of 2007.

"Bixby Canyon Bridge" is rife with references to Jack Kerouac's writing; Gibbard often notes that Kerouac is a favorite author in interviews, and the song was written during the artist's trip to Big Sur, the location of Bixby Creek Bridge.[9] Gibbard has written lyrics about Kerouac before, including his contribution of lyrics and vocals to a song by Styrofoam titled "Couches in Alleys", and in songs "Lowell, MA" and "Title Track" from Death Cab for Cutie's 2000 album, We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes.

Unusually, the tenth song, "Pity and Fear", ends abruptly. In an interview, the band stated that the tape machine they were using broke toward the end, and they liked the sound it produced so much that they included it in the final version of the song.[citation needed]

The final track on the album, "The Ice Is Getting Thinner", is used in the first season finale of the television series Gossip Girl, as well as in the fourth season of reality series The Hills. The song "No Sunlight" is included in the soundtrack for Choke. "Pity and Fear" was included in the ending of an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. The first track, "Bixby Canyon Bridge", was used at the end of the Friday Night Lights episode, "How the Other Side Lives".

The cover art was created by designer EE Storey, the art director for Tegan and Sara.[10]

Reception

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic(73/100) [11]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic [12]
Alternative Press [13]
The A.V. ClubA [20]
Entertainment WeeklyB [14]
The Guardian [15]
The Independent [16]
Pitchfork Media(6.0/10) [17]
PopMatters [18]
Rolling Stone [19]
Spin(8/10) [21]
Uncut [11]
USA Today [22]

The album so far has a score of 73 out of 100 from Metacritic based on "generally favorable reviews".[11] MTV's James Montgomery referred to Narrow Stairs as "unquestionably the best thing [Death Cab has] ever done".[23] Rolling Stone called the album "a dark, strangely compelling record that trades the group's bright melancholy for something nearer to despair."[19] In his Consumer Guide, Robert Christgau gave it a two-star honorable mention ((2-star Honorable Mention)(2-star Honorable Mention)), while picking out two songs from the album ("You Can Do Better Than Me" and "Grapevine Fires") and stating that the album has "Unfailingly melodic, surprisingly dynamic, somewhat overextended love problems, and if [Ben is] so smart why doesn't he shelve music and solve them?"[24]

The album has been highly rated by critics and fans, having been awarded 4 stars out of 5 by publications such as Rolling Stone, Blender[25] Kerrang!,[26] Uncut, Alternative Press, The Times,[27] The Observer,[28] The Independent and The Guardian, as well as by the websites Allmusic, Consequence of Sound,[29] and Tiny Mix Tapes.[30] TIME magazine awarded the album a "B+" rating, with The A.V. Club giving it an "A" rating.[20] Boston radio station WERS ranked Narrow Stairs as the No.8 album of 2008 based on a listener poll. Even more favorable reviews come from such publishers as Under the Radar (with nine stars out of ten),[11] Billboard,[31] The Boston Globe,[32] Hartford Courant,[33] Paste (seven out of ten),[34] and Filter (70%).[11]

Other reviews that are given three stars out of five are Mojo,[11] Q,[11] Now,[35] and Prefix Magazine (six out of ten),[36] as well as the website Sputnikmusic.[37] Publishers that have mixed reviews are Slant Magazine (two-and-a-half stars out of five),[38] Hot Press (2.5 out of five),[39] The Austin Chronicle (two stars out of five),[40] and The Village Voice.[41]

Commercial performance

In its debut week, Narrow Stairs reached the No.1 spot on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 144,000 copies and scoring the band its first No.1 album. One week later it fell to No.5 with 52,000 copies. As of January 31, 2009, the album has sold over 475,000 copies in the US. Narrow Stairs was certified Gold by the RIAA in February 2009, for shipments of 500,000 copies.[42]

Narrow Stairs was nominated for the "Best Alternative Music Album" award at the 51st Grammy Awards. In addition, "I Will Possess Your Heart" was nominated for "Best Rock Song".[43]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Bixby Canyon Bridge"Ben Gibbard5:15
2."I Will Possess Your Heart"Gibbard, Nick Harmer, Jason McGerr, Chris Walla8:25
3."No Sunlight"Gibbard, Walla2:40
4."Cath..."Gibbard3:50
5."Talking Bird"Gibbard3:23
6."You Can Do Better Than Me"Gibbard1:59
7."Grapevine Fires"Gibbard, Harmer, McGerr4:09
8."Your New Twin Sized Bed"Gibbard, Harmer3:06
9."Long Division"Gibbard, Harmer, Walla3:50
10."Pity and Fear"Gibbard4:21
11."The Ice Is Getting Thinner"Gibbard, Walla3:45
iTunes Store bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
12."I Will Possess Your Heart" (Radio Edit)Gibbard, Harmer, McGerr, Walla4:08
13."Album Credits" (As Read by Mike West) 2:51
14."The Ice Is Getting Thinner" (Demo)Gibbard, Walla3:30
15."No Sunlight" (Demo)Gibbard, Walla3:25

The later two demos were also included on the vinyl LP edition of the album.

Personnel

Death Cab for Cutie
Production

Sales chart performance

Chart (2008) Peak
position
Australian ARIA Albums Chart[44] 6
Swedish Albums Chart 16
UK Albums Chart 24
U.S. Billboard 200[45][46] 1

Release history

The album was initially released on May 12, 2008,[2] in the United Kingdom and on the following day in the United States.

References

  1. ^ "Death Cab For Cutie Mount Narrow Stairs". chartattack.com. Retrieved March 8, 2008.
  2. ^ a b "Death Cab For Cutie Announce UK Shows". XFM. Retrieved April 20, 2008.
  3. ^ Death Cab For Cutie – interview – Interviews. thevine.com.au. Retrieved on July 7, 2011.
  4. ^ » Death Cab for Cutie: “We’re six songs in.”. Puddlegum (January 29, 2008). Retrieved on July 7, 2011.
  5. ^ Death Cab for Cutie promises louder, abrasive, dissonant new album. Punknews.org. Retrieved on July 7, 2011.
  6. ^ Making of the new album on YouTube (December 14, 2007). Retrieved on July 7, 2011.
  7. ^ Death Cab For Cutie – interview – Interviews. thevine.com.au. Retrieved on July 7, 2011.
  8. ^ Death Cab for Cutie profile; Death Cab for Cutie interview – Chicago Tribune. Articles.chicagotribune.com (May 19, 2011). Retrieved on July 7, 2011.
  9. ^ Ben Gibbard Turns To Kerouac As Inspiration For New Death Cab for Cutie Album : Rolling Stone : Rock and Roll Daily. Rolling Stone (August 31, 2007). Retrieved on July 7, 2011.
  10. ^ "New Album for Death Cab for Cutie". eFluxMedia. May 13, 2008. Retrieved May 13, 2008.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g "Critic reviews for Narrow Stairs". Metacritic. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
  12. ^ Allmusic review
  13. ^ Alternative Press review
  14. ^ Entertainment Weekly review
  15. ^ The Guardian review
  16. ^ The Independent review
  17. ^ Pitchfork Media review
  18. ^ PopMatters review
  19. ^ a b Will Hermes (May 15, 2008). "Narrow Stairs". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
  20. ^ a b The A.V. Club review
  21. ^ Spin review
  22. ^ USA Today review
  23. ^ James Montgomery. "Death Cab For Cutie Make The Leap With Narrow Stairs, In Bigger Than The Sound". MTV. Retrieved March 8, 2008.
  24. ^ Robert Christgau. "CG: Death Cab for Cutie". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
  25. ^ Blender review[dead link‍]
  26. ^ Album reviews at CD Universe
  27. ^ The Times review[dead link‍]
  28. ^ The Observer review
  29. ^ Consequence of Sound review
  30. ^ Tiny Mix Tapes review
  31. ^ Archived 2008-05-13 at the Wayback Machine
  32. ^ The Boston Globe review
  33. ^ Hartford Courant review
  34. ^ Paste review
  35. ^ Now review
  36. ^ Prefix Magazine review
  37. ^ Sputnikmusic review
  38. ^ Slant Magazine review
  39. ^ Hot Press review
  40. ^ The Austin Chronicle review
  41. ^ The Village Voice review
  42. ^ "Certification for Death Cab for Cutie". RIAA Gold and Platinum Certification Database. Retrieved June 18, 2010.
  43. ^ "51st Grammy Awards". Grammy.com. Retrieved December 4, 2008.
  44. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved May 25, 2008.
  45. ^ Caulfield, Keith (May 21, 2008). "Cab Cruises, Sinatra's Strong, Warner Rules". Billboard magazine. Retrieved May 21, 2008.
  46. ^ Hasty, Katy (May 21, 2008). "Death Cab For Cutie Scores First No. 1 Album". Billboard magazine. Retrieved May 21, 2008.
Preceded by Billboard 200 number-one album
May 25–31, 2008 		Succeeded by
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